IDK, My BFF Anna Wu
by GimmeBanjo
Summary: The battle of the bold unfolds when Charlotte’s best friend comes to visit PPTH. She’s loud, annoying and normally right. Major OCs, relies on the “Bloody Nose” AU.
1. Chapter 1

Title: IDK, my BFF Anna Wu.

Summary: The battle of the bold unfolds when Charlotte's best friend comes to visit PPTH. She's loud, annoying and normally right. "I mean seriously, Charlotte. If things get much worse, I'm going to have to hold an intervention. I'm going to write a sappy poem about how much I love you and we're both going to be so embarrassed." Major OC, relies on the "Bloody Nose" AU.

Standard disclaimer applies.

* * *

This started out as a one-shot and turned into a multi-chapter event. I'm kinda addicted to Charlotte, so I'm playing with my own AU. The end. All kinds of reviews welcomed!

* * *

Dr. Chris Taub was standing at the counter in the clinic when he heard squealing coming from the lobby. He cast a glance over his shoulder and saw a mass of blonde and black hair, hugging and dancing around. He figured it was a patient being released and the family celebrating. He turned back to his work, but the squealing turned into high pitched chattering. Disgruntled, he turned around to walk out there and ask them to take it down a notch. When he reached the door, the pair broke apart and he saw that it was actually Dr. Charlotte Carrington-House, the head of Rehab Services, who was jumping up and down like a teenager. He started to double back when he ran into Dr. House.

"Those damn teenage girls. Makes you want to pour water all over their white blouses." He said dramatically

"House, it's your daughter." Taub looked from House to Charlotte and admitted from this angle, you couldn't really tell who the blonde was, but he had a sneaking suspicion that House could.

"Ew." House cringed "Awkward." He started to limp towards the clinic. "You have clinic duty?" Taub nodded and House immediately pivoted around and headed back for the elevator.

"Where are you going?" Taub looked after him curiously

"You have clinic duty. Foreman and Thirteen are in trials. I can't leave the patients alone with Kutner!" He said in mock exasperation

"We don't have any patients." Taub reminded him. They hadn't had a case in two weeks.

"Don't be a Debbie Downer, Taub!" House said hopefully as he pushed the button to go up "The glass is always half-full!"

*

Charlotte walked Dr. Anna Wu down the hallways, pointing out different offices and introducing her to several people. As she rounded the corner towards House's office, she sped up a little and Anna followed along. As she passed the door with House's name on it, Anna stopped short and pointed at the door.

"He's THE Doctor Gregory House?" Anna said with excitement "Charlotte, I have to meet him."

"I don't know, Anna…" Charlotte looked around, expecting House to come down the hallway at any minute "I haven't told anyone you're coming and I really don't want to intrude."

"He's your dad! It's not intruding!" She looked at the name "You never told me he was THE Gregory House."

"Anna, this is weird." Charlotte shivered a little

"He's my idol!" Anna grasped her best friends arm. "I can't believe you kept it a secret."

"It's not really a secret. There aren't many Gregory Houses out there in the world." Charlotte tried to continue on to the elevator, but Anna wouldn't budge from in front of the door. Charlotte tried to grab her hand and pull her down the hall, but when she turned around, she was greeted by House standing over her smiling. She looked up and smiled guiltily.

"So who's your friend." He looked past Charlotte at Anna.

"Dr. Anna Wu." Anna stepped forward to shake his hand, which House did reluctantly. "Charlotte and I went to school together. We're also research partners, best friends, sorority sisters…" She stopped when she saw House smirking at Charlotte

"Sorority sisters?"

"Chi Omega had the highest GPA on campus. We got points for studying." Charlotte said as she blushed a little.

"Nerd points for party girls?" House couldn't contain his amusement

"Thanks Anna, now I'm never going to hear the end of this." She whispered to her friend through her teeth.

"Dr. Wu." House turned his attention back to Anna. "What brings you to Princeton-Plainsboro?"

"I'm spending a week here with Charlotte then I'm heading down to D.C. to spend another week with our other colleague in the research project." She smiled "It's like a student exchange program."

"We're trying to learn from each other and adapt different methods to work for our own programs." Charlotte kept explaining. The further away from the sorority news she could get, the better. "The whole teamwork, community idea…"

"Kind of like a sorority." His eyes twinkled as Charlotte mentally cursed herself. She walked into that one. "Why don't I walk you girls up to Charlotte's office."

Charlotte eyed him suspiciously. Anna stepped back a step and looked at the pair. Both were wearing jeans and sneakers. House was wearing a t-shirt and sport coat while Charlotte had dressed hers up with a white button up shirt and a gray pinstripe vest. Anna made a mental note to compliment Charlotte on her outfit later. Anna nodded her head towards House and started walking away with him. Charlotte stood there a moment, then hurried to catch up and interrupted their conversation about Michigan.

"I've been here almost six months and you have yet to set one foot in rehab." Charlotte accused

"That's not true! I've been up to see you a few times!" He said in mock defense

"Only when you needed something from me." She reminded him

"This is a special occasion!" He looked at Anna "It's not every day your best friend comes to visit!" He leaned in a whispered to Anna, "I was beginning to wonder if she even had friends."

"This isn't funny!" Charlotte threatened seriously, "If you set one foot on that floor, I'm going to admit you."

House narrowed his eyes and Charlotte returned his glare as if she was challenging him. The door to the elevator slowly open and Charlotte pushed Anna in. As the door was shutting, House called out,

"Hey, Buffy and Muffy. Dinner tonight. 7. My place."

"You don't have a dining room table. 6:30. My place." Charlotte corrected right as the door slid shut.

"The couch isn't good enough for two sorority girls?" They heard him shouting to the closed door.

"And that was my dad."


	2. Chapter 2

"Why are we cooking so much food?" Anna asked as she was zesting a lemon into a bowl for her famous lemon squares.

"I sort of invited Wilson, Lisa and Robert over, too." Charlotte shrugged "I hope you don't mind."

"Are you kidding? I love company. I love entertaining. Can I just pretend this is my house and not yours?" Anna pleaded "Wait," She stopped zesting "Robert? As in Hot Australian Doctor Robert?" Charlotte nodded "Oh my God, I'm so excited."

"Anna, please," Charlotte attempted to derail her friend

"So are you guys official yet?" Anna continued to work on her lemon squares

"No. We're just hanging out." She shrugged

"Six months and you're still just hanging out?" Anna put down her lemon and turned to face Charlotte "Put on your big girl panties and ask him out already!"

"I don't know," Charlotte went to drawer and fished out a wine key "It's complicated. I mean, he used to work for my dad."

"Used to? But doesn't anymore?" Charlotte shook her head "Then where's the complication? Complications are things that really exist and are putting up roadblocks. They normally don't exist in just your head." Then she looked at her friend and added, "Unless you're Charlotte. When was the last time you got laid."

"Um," Charlotte bit her lip and did some quick mental math. "Eight months."

"Jesus! That's like forever!" Anna looked genuinely shocked as she accepted the glass of wine from Charlotte and took a sip

"You might have forgotten I had an ovary removed. Puts a crimp in most plans for sexual activity."

"Women who have birth are having sex sooner than you are." She put her glass on the counter and crossed her arms "My brother and I are only nine months apart."

"And you're also the only Asian Irish twins I know." Charlotte laughed and she went over to the oven.

"Point is," Anna turned back to her baking dish "You could be having sex, you're just coming up with all these excuses not to."

"I'm just not ready to date."

"Another lame excuse. You haven't dated since you were an undergrad." Anna reminded "If you're not ready to date now, you're pretty much screwed."

"I guess you don't really need to be dating to have sex." Charlotte said after a moments consideration.

"There's my girl! I knew she was in there somewhere!" Anna laughed with pride

*

The doorbell rang and Pavlov ran barking to the door. Anna followed him, practically skipping. She opened the door and Cuddy stood there holding a bottle of wine.

"Dr. Cuddy!" Anna smiled. The two had met earlier in the day over lunch and Anna had really enjoyed the older woman's company.

"Lisa, please." Cuddy smiled as Anna held the door open to let her in. Cuddy bent down to pet the whining dog as Anna closed the door and locked it.

"Charlotte's in the kitchen still. She's letting me play hostess." She explained. "Charlotte tells me you've been helping her decorate the place." The women walked across the living room and back into the kitchen. "I'm so in love with everything you've done so far."

"Well," Cuddy laughed "We haven't had a lot of time to work on it, but I think it's coming along nicely."

From the kitchen, they heard the door opening. Anna looked at Charlotte with alarm, but Charlotte just shrugged. Pavlov ran out of the kitchen and they could hear him whining because he was being ignored.

"Dad has a key."

"That's freaking scary." Anna shuddered "I wouldn't want my dad to have a key."

"Well hey," House said enthusiastically as he walked into the kitchen. "Cuddy is the first one here!" He sat himself on a stool next to her and snapped his fingers in the air. "Snaps for Cuddy!"

"Snaps for making a totally lame sorority joke." Charlotte muttered from her position at the stove.

"Would either of you like something to drink?" Anna asked, playing hostess "Beer? Wine?"

"I'll take some wine, thank you." Cuddy smiled as Anna moved across the room to find a wine glass.

"I'll take a beer." House added, "But only if it comes in a really cool personalized coozie."

With a huff, Charlotte reached into a drawer beside the sink and pulled out a blue and gold coozie and hurled it at House's head. He flinched a little as he grabbed it with his left hand. He looked at it, surprised. "HOUSE" was painted in gold above a large, gold Michigan M.

"I didn't think she'd actually have one." He muttered to Cuddy and she smirked.

*

Wilson, Chase, Cuddy and Anna sat around the dining room table laughing as Anna told a story. On opposite ends, House and Charlotte continued to stare each other down.

"So what was Charlotte like in college?" Cuddy asked, distracting Charlotte from her staring contest with House.

"Oh my God," Anna laughed "She was so granola! Birkenstocks, hemp attire, everything. The only time she would wear something other than jeans and t-shirts was at a sorority function."

"Anti-sorority sorority girl?" House looked at Charlotte questioningly

"No way!" Anna interrupted his thought process. "She was the perfect little sorority girl, she just had an edge to her." She explained, "Charlotte was the one we always sent to talk to the cops when we were having parties." She continued and laughed "Somehow, she managed to convince them every time that no one was drunk and that we were actually all out on the lawn having a huge study break."

"I think I told them once that we were having a study-a-thon with our brother fraternity." Charlotte smiled at the memory

"Oh God, and she was so annoying to be in class with! She would just walk in the first day and smile and the teachers would give her an A."

"It was harder than that. Sometimes I had to actually show up for class."

"We had to write this paper about confidentiality once for one of our effective helping classes and mine was about ten pages worth of a detailed study of what confidentiality meant and how it can be applied in helping professions." Anna turned her attention to Charlotte's smiling face. "Charlotte on the other hand, in about two pages said, in a nutshell, "I don't like confidentiality, but if I have to, I'll keep my mouth shut until I find someone else who knows about it, then I'll go ahead and talk about whatever it is I want to. I'm a backstabbing bitch." The teacher loved it! Charlotte was the only one who got an A in that class that semester."

"That professor also loved self-deprecation. You call yourself a selfish bastard and she'd give you an A because you made a "deep, personal revelation". It wasn't hard to figure out." Charlotte shrugged

"She," Anna pointed at Charlotte "Is so manipulative. But it's wonderful to have her as a friend."

"Sounds like someone we know." Wilson turned his head and looked at House who was sitting there silently

"You know, the nurses were calling her Little House for a while." Chase informed them

"I never heard that." Cuddy smiled with amusement

"I was trying to get them to call you Condo." House told Charlotte. Beside her, Anna started smirking.

"Oh that's priceless." Charlotte rolled her eyes. "And when I have kids, are we going to call them studio apartments?"

The entire table, save for House and Charlotte, burst into laughter

"I'm sorry," Anna said as she was gulping for air "That's just the funniest thing I've ever heard. If your kids have kids, are they going to be shacks?"

"Hovels?" Wilson suggested

"Lean-tos!" Chase added from his side of the table

"I'm going to get more wine." Charlotte stood up and grabbed the empty bottle from the table and went into the kitchen. As she was opening a new bottle, House walked in.

"She's a sorority girl."

"She's my best friend. We get each other." She shrugged "And she's a brilliant doctor. MD, not just the fake PhD doctor." House noted the sarcasm.

"They're just handing them out these days." House volleyed.

"Don't be rude." She put down the wine bottle on the counter and put her arms on her hips, ready to do battle. "She's smart. She's funny. She knows more about me than any other person in the world and she's still my friend. So don't be mean." She smiled a little "She's my Wilson."

"The volley ball or the Jew?"

"Maybe a little bit of both." She shrugged and picked up the wine and walked back into the dining room where her guests were still laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

"So I like how when your dad is around, you emotionally become a ten year-old." Anna was sitting on the couch in Charlotte's office with her feet up on the coffee table and flipping through a psychological journal.

"You should have seen it a few months ago when I was emotionally five. You would have loved that." Charlotte commented as she was filling out discharge papers at her desk

"This is driving me crazy," Anna threw down the journal and sat up "Why is it always so quiet around here?"

"Um," Charlotte looked at the clock on her desk "It's time for groups. They're probably all out doing their own things."

"Groups?" Anna looked confused. "We had groups this morning. You shouldn't be doing more than the baseline."

"They aren't doing any formal groups…" Charlotte put down her pen and got up. She had to show Anna what was going on. "They've started their own. There's a sewing group," She pointed to the common area where there were five or six people sitting around sewing machines. "They're making hats for cancer patients." They started walking down the hall towards Detox. "Every day a nurse takes a group of them down to Peds and they hang out with the kids. Some read, some play games, some just talk." She pointed through the glass door leading to the Detox portion of the rehab and said, "Then there's the Rehab Partners. Some of the clients in Rehab come over and help out the clients in Detox. You know, encourage them."

Anna stood there open mouthed as she looked in the window and saw clients from both departments sitting around and talking

"How did you do that?" Anna asked, amazed

"They did it themselves. Some where looking for ways to pass the time and I encouraged them to find productive ways to do it." She shrugged "And they came up with this on their own. Something about giving back to those who have helped them." She said as she turned around and headed back to her office

"This is really amazing, Charlotte." Anna followed her back and shut the office door. "The whole community idea is actually working."

"I thought it was just because of my first cycle of patients, but I've cycled three times and it's still happening." Charlotte told her

"This isn't happening at my rehab." Anna continued her gushing. "There has to be some random factors we aren't considering."

"You have a stand alone facility." Charlotte pointed out "I'm in a hospital. More opportunity to get out but not leave campus."

"Oh, that's good." Anna sat back down on the couch and pulled out a notepad. "What else?"

"Well," Charlotte took in a deep breath. "Marvin is still here."

"Marvin?" Anna looked up surprised. "He can't live his entire life in rehab, Charlotte."

"I know, he just had a minor setback a few months ago…" She tried to explain "He's better now."

"Better as in able to go home?" Anna looked at her friend

"When he's able to go home, you know I'll send him home."

"What is it about Marvin that you have to keep him around at all times? You did this in New York, too."

"He doesn't have a home, Anna. We're his home. We're his family."

"Then refer him to social services, Charlotte." Anna said "You know what to do. It's not your responsibility after he's clean."

"I know." Charlotte looked down at the discharge papers she was filling out "But Marvin started the group that goes down to Peds."

"Then you keep it going." Anna sat back and looked at Charlotte "What has gotten into you? Where is my cold, callous and unapologetic best friend? I want her back."

"I want her back too." She put her head on her desk and muttered, "I hate being emotional."

"You were always emotional," Anna laughed "They were just misdirected emotions. Now you're channeling them into appropriate avenues and you're totally lost."

"Thank you, Anna. I really needed you to tell me I was lost." She said sarcastically

*

"I need a DDx." Anna opened the door to House's office and walked in without an invitation "I have a 25 year old female who has previously showed no real emotional symptoms, but now she clings to every thing she possibly can cling to. She's cute, she's funny, she's intelligent and now she's a total wreck."

"I think you need a psych consult." House looked up as Anna approached his desk

"No, I really think I have the right guy." She hovered over his desk with her arms crossed "She's so afraid of losing you, it's making me sick. Actually, I'd prefer her being head over heels in love than this. At least when she's in love, she doesn't make pathetic excuses."

House leaned back in his chair. For once he was not sure how he should respond.

"Want to hear the worst part?" She put her hands on his desk and leaned forward. "She's keeping a guy in rehab who should have been discharged months ago. He came to our facility in New York about a week after Toby died and she attached herself to him. I don't know if she was trying to fill a void or just trying to keep busy. But he's now followed her here and she's keeping him around for God knows what reason." She shrugged "She's being clingy."

"I don't know if I'd call that clingy." House tilted his head to one side and looked at Anna "Pathetic, yes."

"And you're going to accept no responsibility for this?" She looked aghast.

"For what?" He stood up and started around his desk "You haven't really made a solid case for me being responsible for "clinginess" and even if you were to do so, I'd just deny it." He had made his way to his door and held it open for her. Catching his hint, Anna made her way to the door, but stopped when she reached House.

"You don't know who she is. You may not have spent a lot of time with her in the past ten years, but I have." She hissed. "She normally doesn't ask for help, but right now, she's begging for it." She gave House a once-over "I used to look up to you. Sad part is, she still does."


	4. Chapter 4

House leaned against the nurse's station and looked into the room across the hallway. Inside the room, Charlotte sat on the foot of the bed, laughing and bobbing her head with the young patient. Faint strains of Hannah Montana could be heard coming from the room and if the little girl had hair, she would have been swinging it around along with Charlotte.

"House in the pediatric cancer wing?" Wilson came up behind him and House jumped a little "I think I just saw a little devil ski by."

"I'm stalking Charlotte." He nodded his head towards the room

"She's spending time with one of my patients. Her mom can't be around while she goes through treatments." Wilson explained.

"My team was right when they first met her." House observed as Charlotte got off the bed and handed the little girl a round hair brush and the girl started singing into it. "A regular Mother Theresa."

"She's a good kid." Wilson smiled "I know you had little to do with it, but she's amazing."

"She's miserable."

"What? Just because you're miserable it means she must be as well?"

"Ever notice people try harder when they're hiding something?"

"Yes, she's funny, charming and dancing around to Hannah Montana therefore she must be hiding something." Wilson rolled his eyes "House, she isn't conspiring against you."

"Did you notice that before any of you knew she was my daughter she was not only funny and charming, but an endless stream of energy."

"She was like that even after everyone found out. That may just be who she is."

"She was different. She was hiding something." He turned his head and looked at Wilson. "She's my daughter. I have a keen knack for human observation. I know when people are hiding things. I know when she is hiding things."

"What is she hiding?" Wilson asked, giving in to House's insistence

"I don't know." House shook his head. He hated admitting that, but when it came to Charlotte, he never knew. "But she's miserable."

"Maybe you could learn something from her." House shot him a dirty look. "I mean, if she hides misery so well, maybe we would all benefit from her tricks of the trade."

House started to limp his way towards the room where Charlotte was now dancing around the room as the girl bopped along on the bed.

"Where are you going?" Wilson asked futilely

"To find out what she's hiding."

House pushed the door open and the dance party stopped and both girls stared at him as he made his way to the chart at the end of the bed and turned off the stereo as he passed it.

"Who are you." The girl looked at him with large, brown eyes. Close up, she had little tufts of brown hair growing around the top of her head

"Just another doctor." House said flippantly as he flipped through the charts.

"Abby, remember how we had that talk about daddies?" Charlotte asked the girl and she nodded. Abby's eyes opened wide in understanding

"He's your daddy?" She regarded House seriously. "You don't look anything alike. Dr. Charlotte is prettier."

"But she has my eyes and my charming wit." House smiled sweetly over his shoulder at Charlotte. "What else did Dr. Charlotte say about me?"

"That you left her, too. My daddy left."

"Did she tell you that I didn't actually leave, I went to medical school."

"Uh huh." Abby nodded "She also said she used to see you a lot until you got sick." She looked at House suspiciously "You don't look sick."

"He's not sick." Charlotte stepped forward to rip the chart from House's hand, then continued, "He's just annoying."

"Doctor…" Abby looked at House with confusion, "Doctor Dr. Charlotte's Dad, why do daddies leave?"

House froze. Maybe Anna hadn't been wrong when she said that Charlotte was clinging on to House. Charlotte was so afraid of losing him that she connected with this little girl. Projection? Transference? His psychological terms were getting lost in the big brown eyes waiting for an answer.

"I don't know." House shook his head. The words sounded weak coming from his mouth and he hoped Charlotte hadn't read too much into it. He cast a nervous glance at her and she wasn't paying any attention to him.

"Daddies leave for all different reasons, Abby. We talked about that." She reminded gently

"It wasn't your fault." House said as he looked down at the floor. When he looked up, he saw both Charlotte and Abby looking at him with anticipation. "When daddies leave, it's not because they don't love their babies."

House thought he sounded ridiculous, but Abby nodded and rested her head back on her pillow.

"Your daddy came back." She whispered as Charlotte leaned in to hear her "Do you think mine will?"

"I can't guess what he thinks, Abby. You know that." Charlotte said as she put her hand on Abby's cheek.

"I know. But your daddy did." Her eyes flickered towards House then back to Charlotte. "Maybe mine will."

"Get some rest. I'll be back tomorrow." Charlotte promised as Abby closed her eyes.

"Thank you." Charlotte turned to House once they had quietly exited the room

"I didn't do anything." House shrugged

"Exactly. You could have said her father was never going to come back."

"Chances are he won't." House pointed out. "She was given six weeks to live."

"Eight weeks ago." Charlotte looked over her shoulder at the now sleeping girl. "The only thing keeping her alive is the hope that her dad will come visit her."

"You see yourself when you look at her." Charlotte's eye's flew to House's face. "Minus the dying."

"I see a little girl who is scared and wants to be surrounded by comforting memories and pleasant thoughts." Charlotte denied

"That doesn't sound like someone you know?" House tilted his head as Charlotte continued to deny the parallels.

"I'm just doing Wilson a favor." She started to walk away and House followed. "I'm not looking to be psychoanalyzed by a diagnostician."

"Instead you let your best friend do it?"

"I don't let her, she just does." Charlotte stopped at the elevator and pressed the button. "Best friend privileges."

House enjoyed getting on people's nerves. He had a knack for pressing buttons and getting reactions. He started to say something he was sure would get a rise out of Charlotte, but he held back. He looked at the girl standing on his left. She was petite and athletic. She normally carried herself like someone who was six feet tall. Today, she seemed to be succumbing to her 5 foot 4 inch frame. Even her hair seemed to had lost some of its usual curl. She looked tired. She looked like someone who was willing to give up. Maybe Anna had been right in saying that House didn't know who Charlotte really was.

"Are you heading up to your office?" He asked

"Yeah," She sighed "Anna is up there running a recovery group. I have some paper work I need to get finished before she leaves so it can get to D.C. on time."

"Do you have a minute to talk?" House asked as they stepped into the waiting elevator.

"Can what you have to say be said in the time it takes to get to my floor?" She asked, her fingers lingering over the buttons to close the door.

"No." House said definitively.

"Fine." She pushed the button for House's floor and the doors slid shut.

They rode in silence and exited the elevator. As they passed by the conference room, House glanced in the windows to see if anyone was inside. His fellows weren't hanging around, so they must have made themselves busy and he was thankful for that. He held open the door and Charlotte went into the office and collapsed in the chair.

"You don't look like you feel well." He said awkwardly as he limped to his desk and sat down.

"I'm tired." She confirmed "Anna being here has made me a little stressed." House nodded his head. That he could understand. He eyed her cautiously. "What?" Her eyes opened wide. House simply shook his head.

When Charlotte was younger and something was found missing or broken, her mother, Sarah, would start yelling. She would blame Charlotte. Then she would blame the cat. She would blame the sun for shining on the object in question. She once tried to blame House, who lived on the other side of the country. House learned very quickly that if something was found broken or missing in his apartment, he just had to sit. He tried picking and goading at first, but he found waiting got all the results. The longer he sat in silence, the more it drove Charlotte crazy and she would start talking. She would say two words then think about what she had said. Then she'd add five more words and then think about those. Eventually, if House had enough patience, Charlotte would go off on ten minute monologues explaining her detailed thought process as to why she had to eat the last chocolate chip cookie.

So he waited.

"Anna is mad that I haven't discharged Marvin." She said finally. "Do you think I should discharge him?" House stared blankly and shrugged. "He doesn't have anywhere to go, really. I was thinking about calling up a friend in New York who runs a halfway house. He might be able to help Marvin out." She stopped and they sat in silence.

House continued to wait.

"You're doing that silence thing again." She said bluntly

"Damn." House slammed his hand across his knee "What gave it away?"

"What am I supposed to say?"

"What do you want to say?"

"How much is this session going to cost me, Doctor?" Charlotte rolled her eyes in frustration and kicked her feet onto the waiting ottoman.

"Your first born child."

"Will you settle for me naming it after you?"

"Only if it's a girl."

Charlotte narrowed her eyes at House and he responded by narrowing his at her. Frustrated, he stood up and started to pace.

"When I was playing field hockey, I really pissed this other girl off and she sticked me and took out one of my knees. I had to have surgery on it and ever since then, I can't sit in one place for long. On rainy days, walking up stairs is the most painful thing in the world. The only thing that seems to not bother my knee is walking in a straight line." Charlotte said after a minute of watching House pace back and forth.

"I knew you had knee surgery, but I didn't know the story was so cool." House stopped walking and looked at her

"You read my medical history?" She asked "Do you run a credit check too?"

"No need to. You bought a house during a financial crisis. It's not likely you screwed up your credit like everyone else." He shrugged "Which leg?" He asked curiously. Charlotte pulled up her right pant leg and showed him the long, jagged scar. "That's cool." He said as he looked closely.

"I thought you would have been proud." She nodded her head as she let her pant leg drop.

House continued to pace and Charlotte followed him with her eyes.

"You know my dad died." House said, taking a random shot in the dark.

"Grandmother called me." She nodded "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." He shrugged

"Do you want to talk about it?" Charlotte asked awkwardly

"Am I still getting your first born child?" He asked and she shook her head. "Then no."

They sat in silence for a few moments until Charlotte crossed her arms and said,

"Ok, look, I don't do your particular brand of self-pity, so I'll just say this: I hated myself for years because of what I said that day in the hospital. I've gotten over that though. Now, I have you right here in front of me and all I can think about is, "what if he goes away again." Not just go away on a vacation or overhear me say something and stop talking to me for ten years, but go away for good." She stopped once she realized what she was saying.

"Everybody dies." He had guessed right.

"I know." She shrugged after a moment, "I'm just not looking forward to _you_ dying. If you had died in those ten years when we weren't talking, I think I would have been ok with it. You sucked back then. You became your own father. I understand why you hated him. Now," She stopped and looked at him. "Now I'm not so sure."

"So all of this is because you woke up one day and realized I was going to die?" Charlotte nodded her head, embarrassed "Anna coming to me and trying to rip me a new one, which by the way didn't work, was because of some irrational fear?"

"Aren't all fears by definition irrational?" Charlotte shrugged "I mean, phobaphobia is the fear of fears. If that isn't irrational, I don't know what is."

"You're deflecting." He pointed out

"I learned from you." She snapped back

"That's just cruel." He frowned

"So is life." She shrugged

"I feel like I'm arguing with myself sometimes." House sat back down behind his desk, defeated.

"Doesn't it get frustrating?"

Charlotte stood up and without saying another word, she left the office.

*

Chase looked at his phone as he walked down the hallway. He was about to slip it into his bag when he heard a familiar shuffle coming up behind him. He stopped and turned around and saw House with an expectant look on his face.

"No." Chase said solidly

"No what?" House looked at him with exaggerated surprise

"Whatever it is, no." Chase reaffirmed

"I come with an olive branch and you just shoot me down?" House reeled. "Maybe I don't want you dating my daughter."

"Excuse me?" Chase looked out House in confusion

"Charlotte," He said as his eyes shifted from side to side, checking to see if anyone was around then eyed Chase. "She could do worse."

"Thank you, I think?"

"Are you serious about her?" House looked at Chase intensely and Chase responded with a blank look. "Do you think you would make her happy?"

"I, uh," Now Chase's eyes shifted to see who was around. "Yeah."

"She's out with Anna right now." House pointed at the phone in Chase's hand. "Text her and find out where they are."

"What? Why?" Chase eyed House suspiciously.

"I have a cunning plan." House said evilly as Chase shrugged and sent the text.


	5. Chapter 5

Anna and Charlotte sat at a table along the wall in a dark, Irish pub. The man on stage was playing Finnegan's Wake on his guitar and the girls were singing and clapping along, trying not to spill their beers and they sat there acting like fools. The chorus ended and the bar abruptly became dead silent as a person in the other corner continued clapping.

"Oh! That was so from over there!" Anna pointed across the room and Charlotte broke out into another giggling fit. "It was the old lady!"

"Old lady?" Charlotte looked up and saw a woman in her 40s downing a beer. "Isn't it a little late for her to be out? She's missing Matlock!"

"Or Murder, She Wrote." Anna took a swig of her beer. "And that would be a tragedy."

Charlotte's phone, which was sitting on the table in front of her, started to vibrate and Anna grabbed it before Charlotte's inebriated reflexes could reach for it.

"Ooh," Anna said with a sly grin "It's the hot Australian doctor wanting to know what you're up to."

"He has a name." Charlotte tried grabbing the phone back but Anna pulled it away

"Can I please tell him where we are?" Anna begged then started typing a response

"I didn't say yes!" Charlotte huffed

"Too late." She smiled and handed the phone back over. "I expect he'll be here in a jiffy."

"You just said jiffy." Charlotte laughed, putting her phone down and forgetting the text. "No one says jiffy."

"Well clearly I do." Anna shrugged and she took another sip of her beer. "Drink up, C.H.. I need you nice and drunk when Dr. Chase gets here. Maybe he'll take you home and ravish you."

"First jiffy, now ravish?" Charlotte laughed "Who are you?"

"I'm trying to bring back some really awesome words into our vernacular."

"Can you bring back "tubular" because that would be amazing."

"No, that would be righteous, dude."

The girls started giggling again as a guy sitting across the aisle from them grabbed a spoon and started banging it on the table and shouting "Irish Rover!" at the man playing the guitar, who was now taking requests and ignoring the man with the spoon. Anna shot him an annoyed look and turned to Charlotte.

"I'm going to take that spoon and shove it up his ass."

"Violence is never the answer."

"No, it's always the answer." Anna held her beer in her hand but was still sending annoyed looks to the man with the spoon. "It may be too good for this new, passive Charlotte Carrington-House, but violence has always worked wonders for Anna Wu."

"You've also been arrested twice." Charlotte pointed out

"And somehow, I still managed to get my M.D." Anna shrugged "They should really start doing background checks."

Charlotte had no response other than laughter. Anna was right, there should have been a background check. Anna had a bit of a shady past, she would rather pick fights with perfect strangers, and she might be the only Asian who knew all the words to Irish drinking songs, but she was a good doctor. She was a caring doctor.

"Why did you go and talk to my dad?" Charlotte asked randomly after a few minutes and Anna shot her an annoyed look

"Because I had to." She signaled to the waitress for another round. "You weren't going to do it for yourself and after 8 years of friendship, I can pretty much predict when you're going to do something for yourself and when you're just going to sit there like a big baby and be a lazy fuck."

"Ok." Charlotte nodded slowly "Valid."

"I mean seriously, Charlotte. If things get much worse, I'm going to have to hold an intervention. I'm going to write a sappy poem about how much I love you and we're both going to be so embarrassed."

"Things aren't bad!" Charlotte insisted "Everything is good! We talk, we joke around, we're friends again… see? Good!" She flashed her phone in Anna's face and there was a picture of House doing something really obscene with a guitar.

"That's gross." Anna looked shocked. "Anyway, he shouldn't be your friend, he should be your dad." She rolled her eyes "Dude, we're at a bar, can we not get all serious?"

"But if we don't talk about it now, it's not going to get talked about." Charlotte pouted "You're leaving me tomorrow."

"Yeah, and in a month, you'll be up in New York with me and we'll probably talk about it some more." Anna sighed "I love you. Don't take this the wrong way, but, the world doesn't revolve around you and your daddy issues." She looked at Charlotte with a surprising level of tenderness "Charlotte Carrington-House, you have worked to be worthy of every ounce of arrogance in you, but seriously, you ain't all that."

Another round arrived at the table and Charlotte gladly took a swig of the fresh, cold beer. Maybe Anna had a point. As she was stewing in her own self-pity, a smiling face appeared in front of them.

"Robert!" Charlotte looked up surprised "Jesus, that was fast."

"I got a ride." He explained as he put his bag down and sat in the seat across from the girls. Anna flagged the waitress down. He politely gave her his order and when he turned back to Charlotte and Anna, the man with the spoon started banging it on the table and shouting "Irish Rover!" again.

"Hey, Spoons," Anna shouted as Charlotte put her head in her hands and blushed "He's not going to play Irish Rover, so give it up!"

"I'm sorry." Charlotte looked at Chase "I can't take her anywhere."

"On the contrary," Chase laughed as Anna settled back into her seat after the man with the spoon put his spoon down. "You should take her everywhere."

"So, Chase," Anna leaned on the table "You got a ride? How are you getting home?"

"Well," Chase seemed to blush a little "That's the thing. A friend took my car so I was hoping I could just crash at your place tonight. You have two guest bedrooms." He looked at Charlotte as Anna tried to suppress a fit of giggles. "I know Anna is leaving in the morning, so I can drive your car to the airport and circle around while you two say goodbye. It would save on parking." He suggested hopefully. Charlotte nodded her head. He had spoken to her practical side.

"Oh my God." Anna laughed "Seriously? Who is your friend that is rivaling me for Cupid points? I'll kill them!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Chase laughed in response

"No, tell us!" Charlotte insisted "I feel like I should thank him. Or her. It? I mean, they are saving me the ridiculous amount of cash it takes to park at the airport."

Chase looked around the bar as if to see if anyone was listening. With his finger, he motioned for the girls to lean in and both took his bait.

"House."

Both girls jumped back in their seats as Charlotte started choking on the air she had inhaled rapidly.

"Dude," Anna started laughing "Your dad totally set you up!"

*

The trio were walking down the street when Charlotte wobbled into Chase's shoulder. She looked at him with a guilty grin.

"I think I should have those keys now." Chase stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and held out his palm. Charlotte started fishing through her purse as Anna started getting antsy beside her.

"Oh good grief, Bag Lady."

"Hey." Charlotte stopped digging and pointed her finger at Anna "My bag of tricks has MacGyvered us out of trouble many times, so I don't want to hear it."

"Yeah, now when I need a measuring tape, I know who to ask." Anna rolled her eyes.

"Really? A measuring tape?" Chase asked, amused. Charlotte nodded her head quickly and continued to dig.

"Here they are!" She said in a sing-song voice as she handed the keys over to Chase. Anna link her arm through Charlotte's and they continued down the sidewalk to Charlotte's car.

Once they got in, Chase turned on the car and started adjusting his mirrors as opening strains to The Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again" came blaring over the radio.

"Oh snap!" Charlotte said delightedly "I love this song!" She started running her fingers up and down an imaginary keyboard. She closed her eyes and started swaying along to the music. After a moment, she opened her eyes and saw Chase staring at her.

"Please," Chase laughed "Don't mind me. Keep playing."

In the backseat, Anna joined in on the air band. Chase turned around in the driver's seat watching as the girls bounced in their seats and started banging their heads while continuing to "play".

"I'll tip my hat to the new constitution, take a bow for the new revolution, smile and grin at the change all around, pick up my guitar and play, just like yesterday, then I'll get down on my knees and pray… WE DON'T GET FOOLED AGAIN!" The girls shouted together.

Anna looked up at Chase and waved her hand in the air, "What are you doing, lad? Drive! Drive, I say!" She said in a mock British accent.

With a smile, Chase obliged and pulled out of the parking space as Charlotte reached for the radio. With a squeal, she started singing the new song that came over the speakers.

"Vibrations good like Sunkist, many wanna know who done this, Marky Mark and I'm here to move you, rhymes will groove you, and I'm here to prove to you, that we can party on the positive side and pump positive vibes, so come along for the ride, making you feel the rhythm is my occupation…. So feel the vibration!" She rapped right along Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch as Anna joined in on the chorus. "Come on, come on! Feel it, feel it!"

"Is it possible," Chase interjected at a quiet moment, "That you know every song on the radio?"

"I don't know…" Charlotte said as she leaned forward to switch the station "Let's check!"

A wailing guitar came pouring out of the speakers and Charlotte started wailing along with it, singing Garth Brooks's "Shameless." She was slightly off pitch, but her impression of Garth's growl impressed both Chase and Anna.

"She's really fun at parties." Anna tapped Chase on the shoulder

"I'm beginning to realize that." He said with a smile as Charlotte decided on the classic rock station and settled back into her seat.

"You should hear my Pat Benatar." Charlotte flipped her hair over her shoulder "It's uncanny."

"Her Prince," Anna added "I mean, you really know what it sounds like when dove's cry."

Charlotte reached back to hit Anna, but Anna slid across the seat to avoid the blow.

"I think you have a beautiful voice." Chase smiled as Charlotte started to pout. She looked at him with big, glassy eyes. He laughed to himself. She was really drunk.

"Thanks, Robert." She smiled "I like your voice too."

"Oh barf." Anna spoke up from the backseat. "Did you get your pick up lines from a kindergartener?"

From the front seat, Charlotte started giggling uncontrollably. It started out small, only slight gasps of air escaping from her lips and shaking shoulders, but it grew. Soon, she had her head pressed up against the headrest and tears were streaming down her face. Confused, Chase cast a quick glance and her and saw her entire face, neck and chest were bright red. She held her breath for a moment, puffing out her cheeks, then her cheeks burst and she started laughing again. In the backseat, Anna joined in the giggle-fest.

And that is how they drove home: somewhere between tears and laughter for no apparent reason.


	6. Chapter 6

Anna had gone to bed leaving Charlotte and Chase sitting on the couch down in the basement, flipping through late-night infomercials.

"You have a pretty fantastic TV." Chase nodded at the 52 inch flat screen TV after a few minutes.

"Dad got it for me as a house warming present." Charlotte explained.

"He would." Chase chuckled. "Although, I would have expected bigger."

"It was. I had him return it." She shrugged "No sense in having a massive TV when it's just me."

"Do you get lonely living here alone?" Chase looked at her softly "I mean, it's a huge house and just you." He looked at the dog sprawled out on the floor "And Pavlov."

"We get by." She smiled as Pavlov expectantly look up at Chase when he heard his name. "Dad visits a lot. I think he got me a TV just so he could come watch it. Lisa lives down the street. I spend my days with people, why would I spend my nights with them too?"

"Well that's a depressing way to view a job description." Chase said with a smile

"I guess it is sort of Houseian, isn't it." She looked down at her hands

"Stop that." Chase said impatiently and Charlotte looked at him with surprise. "You aren't your father. I bet you have five people every day say you are exactly like him, but you aren't. You breathe more life in one breath than he could ever hope to have in a lifetime. You're usually right, but you aren't afraid to admit when you're wrong. You don't look at a situation and calculate how to make the best returns on it. You're strong and funny and intelligent…" He slowed down his rant. "And that's why I like you."

He was leaning in and his body was hovering inches away from hers.

"I yell at inanimate objects." Charlotte pulled back. "Not just shaking a ball point pen and willing it to work, but actual yelling. The other day, the shower curtain stuck to my leg and I spent a good thirty seconds yelling at it to get off me before I realized it wasn't going to listen and I had to pull it off myself."

"I still like you."

"I lectured the Tivo yesterday because it deleted a program that I hadn't watched yet and recorded a Law and Order marathon instead." She looked at the TV then back at Chase. "I hate Law and Order. I think it's the worst show of all times."

"I can forgive a great multitude of sins."

"I have an unhealthy obsession with medieval England. I once debated a professor on why I thought King John I was actually one of the best kings England has ever seen. Extremely unlucky, yes, but utterly sly and practical. I fought for a dead guy who history has actually condemned to be one of the worst Britons of all times."

"You're loyal to your beliefs."

"I hate grocery shopping. I have this strange fear of shopping carts. I have to go at least twice a week just so I don't get too much at one time and I can use a hand basket."

"Are you trying to list all of your quirks in an attempt to dissuade me?"

"Is it working?" She looked hopeful

"No." He laughed "I think it's doing the opposite."

"I think you're crazy." She said softly and crossed her arms, secluding herself on half of the sofa.

"I wish you could see yourself." Chase said after a moment. "You have this infectious smile that radiates warmth. When you get really excited about something, you sort of bob your head and tilt it ever so slightly to the right." Charlotte smirked a little. "And that." He pointed at her face. "The grin that only effects the left side of your mouth. It looks so devilish and conniving, but has a bit of innocence because of that cute little dimple. It makes me want to know what is going on in your head."

"Not much." She said with a sarcastic laugh

"Don't sell yourself short. People crave your company. Not because they fear you, but because they want you. The drop out rate has nearly been cut in half since you took over the rehab. Have you ever wondered why that was?" Charlotte shook her head "It's not your new fancy Community Rehab, it's you. I've seen the way you treat the patients. How you laugh with them and get to know what makes them tick. They stay because you're there. Your presence challenges them to be a better person."

"The way you're talking, I kind of like myself a little."

"You like yourself a lot. You know all these things I'm saying, you just forget them."

"Thank you for reminding me." She tried to hide the sarcasm, but failed.

"I'd like to do it more often." Then he added with a wry grin, "I wouldn't even mind going grocery shopping for you to save you from the horrible shopping carts of doom."

Charlotte gave a little laugh when she realized through Chase's rant, she had leaned forward on the couch. Their faces were inches away from each other's when her eyes started twinkling.

"Do you like bowling?"

*

Anna trudged down the stairs the next morning and looked around. Chase's coat and bag were still sitting beside the door with Charlotte's purse. She looked around warily when she heard a shout coming from the basement.

"Take that, Mr. Pro-Bowler." She heard Charlotte taunt

"Oh no." Anna groaned as she started to descend the steps to the basement where Charlotte and Chase were still dressed for yesterday and Charlotte was doing a victory dance. Anna's eyes flashed to the screen and read the score for Wii Bowling. Charlotte was kicking Chase's ass. "Have you two been up all night?"

"Yup." Charlotte said as she started another game

"Playing Wii?" Anna asked slowly

"Uh huh." Chase nodded as he navigated through the selection screens

"Just bowling all night?"

"No," Charlotte turned and looked at Anna as Chase played his turn "We boxed for a little while. He kicked my ass in tennis, too." She pointed at Chase "There will be a rematch."

"So, I need to be at the airport in two hours…" Anna said casually and Charlotte whipped around.

"Oh crap. I wanted to go for a run." She bit her lip.

"A run? I'm still sore from boxing, how can you think about more physical activity?" Chase looked at her in disbelief.

"You guys are so lame." Anna rolled her eyes.

"I like running. I do it every day and if I don't do it now, it'll never get done." She freed her wrist from the Wii remote strap and held it out to Anna "Finish the game for me? I'll be back in like 45 minutes."

"Yeah." Anna stepped off the bottom stair where she had been posted and reluctantly grabbed the remote as Charlotte dashed up the stairs, calling for Pavlov to follow her.

*

Charlotte rounded the corner with great speed. The wind was hitting her face like sharp, frozen needles. She loved early mornings. She normally tried to go for a run before the neighbors were up, enjoying the solitude and the sound of her feet pounding the pavement in a rhythmic pattern. Left, right, left, right. And beside her, Pavlov keeping his own rhythm that was synced perfectly with hers. Down at her core, she was a control freak and patterns fascinated her, comforted her.

Maybe Chase was right. Maybe too many people told her that she was exactly like her father. Maybe she really wasn't. He seemed to love chaos and mystery while she seemed to really love the dull, constant beat of her feet hitting the pavement. Left, right, left, right…

She noticed Pavlov had slowed down. He often slowed down once they reached Lisa's house, but today, Pavlov came to a complete stop. Charlotte frowned, her pattern was interrupted.

She looked back to urge the dog forward, but he sat there whining. She took a few steps closer to him to grab him by the scruff of his neck when she saw what he was whining at. In a panic, she yanked the dog off his behind and ran back to her house, the steady thud of her feet all but doubled.

*

"So um," Charlotte screeched to a halt once she got into the kitchen. Anna and Chase were sitting peacefully at the kitchen table with fresh coffee. "You'll never guess what I saw sitting in Lisa's driveway." She panted.

"A mariachi band?" Anna asked hopefully.

"No…" Charlotte looked at her questioningly, then shook her head.

"A moose wearing a Christmas sweater?" Chase tried and Charlotte sent an extremely annoyed look his way.

"No! Think more…" She struggled "Familial."

"Your dad passed out drunk!" Anna said excitedly

"No…" Charlotte thought about it. "Maybe half true." She shook her hands in the air as if to clear her head. "My dad's bike."

"Oh my God!" Anna started laughing "They are totally bumping uglies!"

"Ew." Charlotte groaned as she collapsed on one of the chairs

"I doubt it…" Chase tried to comfort Charlotte. "If they are… "bumping uglies" for lack of a better term… It would be all over the hospital." She looked up at him hopefully. "Maybe he just needed to get her approval for a procedure or something."

"I thought he didn't like getting permission." Anna reminded Chase

"Well, maybe he decided to bug Cuddy." Chase offered. "Who knows."

"I have to take a shower." Charlotte got up, considerably depressed. "And wash my brain out."


	7. Chapter 7

Charlotte stood silently as Anna checked her bags and was handed her ticket. With a smile, Anna thanked the attendant and turned to Charlotte and they walked to the side of the counter to say their goodbyes.

"I miss you already." Anna put down her carry-on and wrapped her arms around Charlotte

"I had way too much fun this week." Charlotte agreed. "I don't want you to leave."

"Hey, listen to me." Anna held Charlotte's arms still. "You have this guy out there who is in your car circling the airport to make life easier for you. He may or may not be a good guy, I don't really know. But I think you should go for it. You have this other guy who is probably waiting by his front window for you to show up. He may or may not be a good dad, but I think you're willing to take that risk."

"It's always easier to risk everything on the ones that treated us like crap, isn't it. It's harder to trust someone new."

"Take everything at face value," Anna said with a smile "But love with your heart, Charlotte."

"Heart's can't love. They can pump blood." Charlotte laughed "You know I hate personifications of vital organs."

"Screw you." Anna looked serious "Love with your heart, but trust your gut." She hugged her friend. "I'll see you in a few weeks. I want to hear all the dirty details about Chase then." She pulled back "And thank your father for me."

Charlotte started to ask why when Anna picked up her bag and hurried away.

*

Chase effortlessly guided Charlotte's car along the curb into a parking space in front of House's apartment building. His own car was waiting there in front of them.

"You know, you're lucky." Chase said as he put the car in park. "I hated my father. I often times hated your father, too."

"He's pretty hateable." Charlotte nodded. "But did you really hate your father?"

"I hate who he made us become." Chase said softly.

"I'm sorry." Charlotte didn't know what to say.

"But your dad loves you." He smiled "As unconditionally as humanly possible."

"Yeah." She shrugged

"No, that's a great testament to you." Chase insisted.

"Are you going to start inflating my ego again, because that will never get old." She said with a seductive smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something flash by the window of her father's apartment. In one sudden movement, Charlotte swiftly closed the space between her and Chase. Responding, Chase took her face in his hands and softly, their lips met for the first time.

After a moment, they pulled apart but kept their faces close.

"He's looking, isn't he." Chase asked breathlessly

"I think so." Charlotte nodded slightly

"Good."

He leaned in to kiss her again and this time, she let her hands find their way to his neck. Absentmindedly, she started playing with the wisps of hair that fell by her hands. He pulled back again and gave a goofy grin.

"Now that you've done that, I don't think the tennis rematch is going to happen. I might be able to start it, but I don't think I'll be able to finish it."

"I always finish what I start, Dr. Chase." She said with a wink and pulled away. She tucked a random piece of hair behind her ear and looked at front door. "I should go talk to him."

"Probably." Chase nodded.

"Thank you for driving us home last night." She looked at him and smiled "And staying up with me all night. And driving me around this morning."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat." Chase promised

"Good." Charlotte laughed. "I'd like that."

"Good." Chase echoed.

*

After saying goodbye to Chase, she watched him get into his car and turned to go into the front door before he drove away. She walked up to House's door and with a deep breath, she tentatively knocked.

Before she finished the third knock, the door flew open and House stepped aside so that she could come in. With a smile, she walked over the threshold then stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Anna says thank you." Charlotte offered. She thought about adding "Whatever that means." But decided flippant was not the way to go today. She wanted to ask about his bike this morning, but knew if she started off with glib, the tone would be set for the rest of the conversation. She bit inside of her cheek. Maybe she shouldn't ask about the bike. He wouldn't tell her anyway.

"She's a crazy bitch." House said defiantly.

"Who? Anna?" Charlotte looked shocked

"Why are you friends with her again?" He made his way around to the couch and fell backwards onto it.

"I don't know." Charlotte shrugged. She really didn't know how their friendship really started, it just happened. They were drawn to each other, but Charlotte couldn't decide who was the moth and who was the flame.

"I like crazy." He said after a moment.

"You mean, you liked her?" Charlotte laughed, almost relieved.

"She isn't boring." House nodded

"No, she really isn't." She continued laughing and followed her father to the couch.

"Neither are you, for that matter. How did your date with Chase go?" He asked as he kicked his feet up

"Date with Chase?" She eyed him. "Not until I hear about your date with Lisa." House shot her a surprised, yet wary look. "I saw your bike this morning."

"I guess we'll just have to have our secrets then, won't we." Two could play that game. "I saw you kissing him." He nodded his head towards the front window. Anna had been right, he had been waiting.

"Are you spying on me?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow

"I just happened to be sitting by the window." He shrugged "Isn't that what dads do?"

"Typical dads, yes." Charlotte consented, "But you aren't really typical. Atypical everything."

"Thank God." House breathed a sigh of relief. Charlotte had a hard time distinguishing sarcasm in it. She wondered if he was sincerely relieved that he didn't have to play the role of typical dad. "Did you mean what you said the other day about me becoming my dad?"

"Yeah." She nodded slowly.

"My father detested failure." House said just as deliberate. "You weren't capable of failure."

"Yes I was." Charlotte scoffed. "Biology, chemistry, physics…" She shrugged "I failed a lot. I am all kinds of fail." In her mind, she saw the first F she ever received in Biology. Big, red and screaming at her from the top of the page. She had been so disappointed in herself. "No, you thought he detested failure, but that's because you detest it. He was just to stupid and awkward to let you know that he loved you and was proud of you. You hated him because he could never be what you are to me."

"What's that?"

"Encouraging." She looked at him with a small, sardonic smile "But you took that away from me. Your dad took that away from you. You were no better than he was."

"But you still talk to me." House looked at his hands. He hated it when Charlotte got inside his head, but he knew someone who talked as much as Charlotte did would eventually get around to the right theory.

"Even when I hated you, I still loved you. You were still the most important person in my life."

"That makes no sense."

"I know!" She said forcefully "I know! Do you not think I tried to talk myself out of it and into a more rational thought pattern?"

"Darwin is rolling over in his grave."

"Screw Darwin! Maybe I survived because I cared. Maybe you survive because you don't care." Frustrated, she added, "We aren't our fathers. Their thoughts and actions are a part of us, but they don't make us who we are. I believe in Determinism." She said solidly and House raised an eyebrow. Charlotte never got philosophical. She hated philosophy, so this would be good. "I believe in the assumption that everything we do depends on our environment. Our behavior is a function of it's own consequences."

"Determinism is lazy." House said gruffly "It means that you're not held accountable for your actions."

"No, you're held accountable for the contingencies." She pointed out. "Everything that leads up to the actual event is what matters."

They sat in silence for a while, contemplating the practical philosophy behind what Charlotte had said. After a moment, House cleared his throat.

"So you're saying that I'm not responsible for who you are?"

"No, I'm saying you're directly responsible for who I am. You weren't there, so I'm not you."

"Are you going to be ok with that?" He asked with an amused smile

"Maybe." She shrugged. "I mean, you are the awesomest person ever." Unconsciously, she kicked up her feet and copied House's body language. "I'm not going to be miserable any more."

"Good."

"So you set me up with Chase."

"I don't want you to be alone again." He mumbled

"There's no way that Chase can take your place." She looked at him warmly

"I know." He said with a touch of arrogance. "There were others I would suggest to replace me, but he seemed to like you, so I figured I'd be nice."

"You're so thoughtful." She said with a smirk.

"That's me. Thoughtful and caring."

Charlotte laughed and stood up.

"I'm going to go home and take a nap. I didn't get any sleep last night." She announced. "Do you want to go on a date later?"

"Sure," House stood up and made his way to the door. "Dinner and a movie?"

"Sounds good." She nodded. "I'll call you later."

With a smile, she passed through the door House was holding open for her. She bounded down the front steps of his apartment building and walked around to the driver's side of her waiting car. She stopped when she saw a small scrap of white paper tucked under the windshield wiper. She slid it out and opened it up with a smile.

_I'll be going grocery shopping tomorrow. Let me know if you need anything. _ _R._

_**.fin.**_


End file.
